Welcome

Greetings to all of our Azalea Health Innovations friends and thank you for reading this month’s newsletter. Spring is in full swing, which makes May perfect for National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. Check out the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s website for common allergies and diseases to be aware of during this peak season for allergy sufferers.

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Billing Tip: Registering for Medicare and/or Medicaid Programs
After determining your eligibility for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, you should then register as early as possible for the Medicare and/or Medicaid program. CMS’ EHR Information Center is open to assist the EHR provider community with registration and other program-related inquiries.

Here are a few of the Information Center’s most frequently asked questions about registration:

Question: What information should I have ready before I begin the registration process?

Answer: When you register, you will need:

If you are registering as an eligible hospital or Medicare eligible professional, you will need an approved enrollment record in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS). Medicaid eligible professionals are not required to be enrolled in PECOS.

If you do not have a record in PECOS, you should still register for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. (Please note –your eligible hospital or Medicare eligible professional registration status will remain in an “issue pending” status until you have an active enrollment record in PECOS.)

A National Provider Identifier (NPI)

A National Plan and Provider Enumeration System Identity and Access Management ID and password for the individual provider

A Payee Tax Identification Number (if you are re-assigning your benefits)

A Payee NPI (if you are re-assigning your benefits)

Question: Which option do I select when registering on behalf of an eligible professional in the Identity and Access Management System?

Answer: Click on “You are requesting to act on behalf of an individual provider.”

Question: How can I check my registration status in the Registration and Attestation System?

Answer: Log in to the Registration and Attestation System and click the Status tab to view your registration information.

Question: How do I re-submit my registration?

Answer: To re-submit a registration, you will need to:

Login to the EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System;

Navigate to the Registration tab;

Select the Modify action for the registration;

Select the Personal Information registration topic; and

Save the updated payee information and submit the registration.

The center can be reached at 1-888-734-6433 (primary number) or 888-734-6563 (TTY number) from 7:30am-6:30pm CT Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.

CMS provides helpful registration guides and resources on the Registration page of the EHR website. Additionally, FAQs about registration can be found on the FAQs page of the CMS website.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs? Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.

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The U.S. e-Prescription Systems Market to Reach US $205 Million by 2017

E-prescription systems enable physicians to increase efficiency of their clinical workflow, and improve patient care management. Streamlined communication results in the reduction in the exchange of clarification and refill calls between physicians and pharmacies as well as facilitates achievement of operational efficiency. The integration of e-prescription systems with patients’ electronic medical records will aid physicians in making more informed decisions in prescribing medications based on a patient’s drug-drug or drug-allergy interactions. Governments and federal agencies are beginning to realize the significance of e-prescribing in bringing about substantial cost savings, and improving patient safety in terms of reducing unwarranted complications occurring due to illegible and erroneous prescriptions.

While benefits of e-prescription systems are evident, certain challenges still persist that need to be addressed for the successful adoption of e-prescription technology. These issues are expected to have a profound effect on the market growth in future, and may switch from traditional paper-based system to e-prescribing systems. Elimination of these industry barriers would assure a broader usage of e-prescribing technology.

The report, originally written by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides annual sales estimates and projections for E-Prescription Systems market for the years 2009 through 2017 for the US and Europe. Key segments analyzed include Integrated e-Prescription Systems and Stand-alone e-Prescription Systems. The report also analyzes the adoption of e-prescription systems by Hospital practice and General practice.

For full article by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. click here.

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IT Seen as Critical to Population Health

With the potential of healthcare reform and other efforts to increase quality and efficiency of care, many providers are seeing the importance of information technology and are setting a primary focus on population health management.

In order to make the transition to accountable care from fee-for-service reimbursements, providers will need to automate daily tasks. Waco Hoover, CEO of the Institute for Health Technology Transformation says of provider organizations, “They must not only care for the sick, but also strive to keep their patient populations healthy. Information technology is the key to doing this cost efficiently, and automation can enable care teams to identify and work with the patients who truly need their help.”

Today, healthcare providers have a number of new tools at their disposal, such as electronic health records and health information exchanges that can aid them in the effective management of their population, thus keeping their patients as healthy as possible. Richard Hodach, MD, adds that, “By using technology to identify subpopulations and patients who are at risk, to reach out to those patients, and to automate care management, healthcare providers can provide optimal preventive and chronic care to their patient populations.”

For full article by Healthcare IT News click here.

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Upcoming Events
AHI will be exhibiting Azalea Labhub℠ at the CLMA ThinkLab’12 – Clinical Laboratory Management Association. The event is being held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA on April 29 – May 2, 2012.

AHI will be exhibiting at the Annual Meeting and Scientific Assembly held by the Alabama Academy of Family Physicians in Destin, Florida on June 21-23, 2012

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Thank you!

Azalea Health Innovations, Inc.
105 West Central Avenue
Valdosta, GA 31601
Toll Free: 877-777-7686
Local: 229-269-4620
Toll Free Fax: 866-683-8679
Web: http://www.AzaleaHealth.com
Email: info@azaleahealth.com

Click the links below to stay in touch:
www.facebook.com
www.twitter.com/azaleahealth
www.linkedin.com
www.youtube.com/user/azaleahealth

Azalea Health Innovations’® (AHI) was interviewed by the EHRWatch team earlier this month to discuss the new Azalea EHR and how Nuance’s Speech Recognition has benefited their cloud-based software. AHI described their “company’s ‘core development philosophy’.” as being “simplicity”. Their Azalea EHR with Speech Recognition software has now made it easier than ever for a physician to dictate his/her notes into their EHR system. Adding even more value, the Speech Recognition software, powered by Nuance, that AHI employs has the ability to “learn as the provider uses it”. Jon Dreyer of Nuance explains this further, “Nuance products are ’90% accurate straight out of the box’ but the software’s acoustic adaptation models enable it to adapt more closely to a specific speaker’s profile each time he or she uses it.” Speech Recognition is not the sole feature of Azalea EHR, but it is a key element in AHI’s software.

EHRWatch
Read the full article here

Valdosta, GA (PRWEB) 3/5/2012- Azalea Health Innovations (AHI) was chosen to receive the Blue Ribbon Award for the 2012 Dream Big Small Business contest held by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As recipients of the Blue Ribbon Award, AHI is qualified to participate in the Community Excellence Award in which the winner will be chosen by online voting that is open to the public.

AHI was nominated to participate in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 Dream Big Small Business contest in January of this year for displaying exemplary business practices and demonstrating model corporate citizenship. AHI was chosen as one of 75 small businesses nationwide to be named as a Blue Ribbon Award winner. This advances them to the next level of the competition and makes them eligible to take part in the Community Excellence Award. The Community Excellence award will give each participating small business a chance to get their supporters involved by voting for their favorite small business online. Voting for this award is open now and ends on March 15th, 2012. AHI is asking the community to support them by going to www.AzaleaHealth.com and clicking on the Blue Ribbon banner to cast their vote for them.

AHI was nominated because of the company’s focus on innovative health information technology(health IT) which is paired with exceptional client relations. By keeping these two components at the forefront of all operations, AHI is able to satisfy client needs for medical software systems and ensure that the client is both comfortable and knowledgeable on the implementation process. Alongside of providing health IT and client relations, AHI was chosen for the contest due to the amount of civil service the company has provided for both the Valdosta and Savannah community. AHI understands the importance of giving back to the community and demonstrates this in several ways. They donate their time by participating in the “Angels” program for the Business Plan Competition in the Valdosta, volunteering to build a house for the Habitat for Humanity project, and serving as a Technical Advisor for the Wiregrass Technical College for the Healthcare Information Technology Program. AHI also has provided financial sponsorship for the Chamber’s Business showcase, has a 100% employee participation in the $1 for $1 contribution to the Greater Valdosta United Way, as well as donated funds to many charitable organizations.

About Azalea Health Innovations
Azalea Health Innovations, Inc. is a leading provider in cloud-based electronic health records software (EHR), practice management software (PM), and revenue cycle management services (RCM). Azalea℠ products provide continuity that unifies both the medical and financial aspects of today’s healthcare provider. The simple, web-based Azalea℠ EHR (Certified by ONC‐ATCB) encompasses the entire spectrum of a medical practice from scheduling, charting, e-prescribing, billing, online CPOE, online personal health records and Meaningful Use certification. The agile software development method that Azalea℠ Health employs allows the company to respond to customer feedback and industry standards at a rapid pace. Azalea products have the ability to accommodate multiple specialties and any size of practice, from solo physicians to hospital systems. Azalea℠ RCM service boasts a 98% accuracy rate, drastically reducing claims denials and protecting the fiscal health of healthcare practitioners. Implementing Azalea systems is effortless due to the simplicity of the products and unlimited access to expert customer service. For more information on Azalea Health Innovations, please visit www.AzaleaHealth.com or call (877) 777-7686.

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Azalea Health Innovations’ new speech recognition software was featured at the 2012 HIMSS conference in Las Vegas, NV as one of the 14 most interesting health IT products and services. The speech recognition is a new feature AHI offers with the Azalea EHR package that enables physicians to document their exact notes seamlessly and in less time.
For the article click here.

Azalea Health Innovations is proud to have their Azalea℠ EHR showcased as Nuance Healthcare’s App-of-the-Month for January 2012. AHI’s new EHR has a suite of innovative features that is sure to please any healthcare professional. From address recognition to speech recognition software, SpeechAnywhere powered by Nuance Healthcare. This addition will enable a physician to dictate to the EHR system easily and without error. The speech recognition software, Nuance SpeechAnywhere, is available for purchase as an add on to any EHR package today! Read more

Updated: 11:00 PM Mar 10, 2011Azalea Health Innovations: Eye on BusinessEye on Business report heads to Valdosta.Posted: 10:54 PM Mar 10, 2011Reporter: newsEmail Address: news@wctv.tv

See the article and the video at:

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Azalea_Health_Innovations_Eye_on_Business_117608894.html

Integrated e-Prescribing Solution to Dramatically Improve Prescribing Safety and Efficiency

Valdosta, GA (PRWEB) February 1, 2011

Azalea Health Innovations, Inc. is pleased to announce the launching of Azalea eRx™, an e-prescribing solution now available for physician practices. Azalea eRx™ partners with DrFirst’s award-winning e-prescribing technology, creating a highly functional e-prescribing module that allows healthcare professionals to easily submit accurate and secure electronic prescriptions directly to any retail or mail-order pharmacy. Azalea eRx™ will allow physicians to improve prescribing safety and medical practice productivity and efficiency. The system is completely web-based, and features drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction checking, dosage alerts, and real-time patient medication and formulary lists. Prescriptions are legible and electronically sent, making prescribing safer for the patient.

“E-Prescribing is an easy-to-implement technology and perfect for a physician’s first steps towards becoming acclimated to personally interacting with technology during a clinical process,” said Baha Zeidan, CEO of Azalea Health Innovations. “By implementing Azalea eRx™, practices can begin establishing how they will incorporate technology into their existing workflow and begin to see the benefits.”

Through Azalea eRx™, physicians can qualify for the e-prescribing incentive program aimed at promoting nation-wide adoption of e-prescribing. In 2011, physicians who adopt and implement e-prescribing software are eligible for a 1% incentive payment from Medicare in 2012. If physicians do not, they will miss out not only on the incentive payments, but will be victim to the negative reimbursement rate from Medicare. The rate begins at 1% in 2012, and increases every year after that electronic prescribing is not adopted.

Azalea eRx™ also can be integrated into both Azalea PM™ and Azalea Labhub™, two of AHI’s own innovative and easy-to-use software programs, making electronic prescribing an important addition to any existing and potential clients. Azalea PM™ is a web-based medical billing and practice management system designed to streamline your billing process and improve the efficiency of your practice. Azalea Labhub™ is an online medical laboratory ordering and reporting system designed to improve your ordering and resulting process, while saving your laboratory time and money.

For more information on Azalea eRx™ software, please visit us at http://www.azaleahealth.com/eprescribing or call 877-777-7686 to schedule a live demo.

About Azalea Health Innovations
Azalea Health Innovations is a software development company dedicated to improving patient care by providing innovative technologies, solutions, and services to the healthcare community. AHI was founded by professionals with extensive knowledge and expertise in the healthcare industry and offer a wide variety of products and services designed to enhance practice work flow and maximize profit. The company strives to build long lasting relationships with our clients through constantly providing cutting-edge tools and support, allowing more time to focus on patient care. Azalea Health Innovations’ friendly and knowledgeable professionals also can guide you through many of the new and ever-changing government requirements for Electronic Medical Records and HIPAA compliance, as well as provide high-quality products including Azalea PM™, Azalea LabHub™, Azalea DrugWare, and Praxis EMR.

For more information on Azalea Health Innovations, its products or services, call 1-877-777-7686 or visithttp://www.azaleahealth.com.

By Jade Bulecza – bio

VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) –The recession hasn’t hurt Valdosta as badly as many Georgia cities, but unemployment there is still up.

A Valdosta State University professor expects that to change slowly this year.

She says there will continue to be weak areas of the economy, but the private sector is picking up.

Some businesses can actually benefit from the recession according to a VSU professor. Enrollment is up at VSU and Valdosta Technical College. Many of the students at VSU are from out of town. That means potential new customers for businesses.

“If you have a business that can tap into that student population it’s going to help you position yourself for that recovery,” said VSU Associate Professor of Economics Cindy Tori.

While some people are out of jobs and the unemployment rate is more than eight percent in the Valdosta area, there is an upside.

The economic forecast for our area shows that now is a good time for businesses to hire. Dr. Tori says there are a large of number of workers available with a wide range of skills.

Businesses like Azalea Health Innovations hire students.

“We started out with four and now we have 13 full-time and part-time,” said Azalea Health Innovations Chief Financial Officer Doug Swords. “We’ve got several VSU students, some VSU graduates so we’ve got a lot of talent here.”

Azalea Health Innovations won the Guardian Bank Business Plan competition in 2008 which included $15,000 in start-up capital and thousands of dollars in in-kind services donated by Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce members. He says he learned a lot through the planning process.

“We had to plan out five years of financial projection,” said Swords. “It really helped us out a lot.”

To enter the business plan competition, a business must be located in Valdosta or Lowndes County and have the potential to hire VSU or Val Tech students.

Dr. Tori also says now is the time for businesses to advertise. For more information on the business plan competition, click here.

Azalea Health Innovations recently partnered with HomeTown Health, an organization of rural and small to medium sized hospitals, located throughout the state of Georgia. AHI looks forward to assisting HTH reach its goals and objectives with the over 50 hospital members. Azalea LabHub™ was recently chosen by HTH as the Laboratory ordering and resulting system of choice for its member hospitals.

For more information about HomeTown Health including its objectives and goals please visit:
http://www.hometownhealthonline.com/Home/tabid/3072/Default.aspx

Additional information on Azalea LabHub™ or any of our other services can be found by visiting: http://www.azaleahealth.com/

Azalea Health was nominated for a 2009 Technology Association of Georgia Virtual Excalibur Award for innovative technologies.